Questions for Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and live streams

Are you somewhere you can talk, or is someone about to walk in?

Ask before anything flirty or personal, not after. A little brother on the same couch means sticking to funny questions and games. 'One sec, let me go to my room' is a good sign: they want this call to themselves.

From: Questions to Ask on FaceTime

How long have you got: a quick one, or are we here until somebody's phone dies?

Ten minutes is a perfectly good answer, and it means one question you care about beats five rushed ones. Knowing the limit up front also stops either of you reading a goodbye as boredom.

From: Questions to Ask on FaceTime

What do you think you'll remember about this year when you're older?

A question with no deadline on it suits the hour. Expect one small scene more often than an achievement: a car ride, a joke that ran all summer. If you were in that scene, add the part you'd keep from it.

From: Questions to Ask on FaceTime

What can you hear over there that I can't?

On a phone call with no picture, sound is the only tour you get. A TV through the wall, a dog or a sibling's game gives you something to ask about, the way a poster would on video. Say what's making noise at your end too.

From: Questions to Ask on FaceTime

Two truths and a lie: can you tell me all three with a straight face?

On video the face is the game, so watch it and not the story. When it's your turn, a slightly boring lie is harder to catch than a wild one. Keep score across a few rounds, and let the winner pick a question the loser has to answer.

From: Questions to Ask on FaceTime

I'm falling asleep over here. Is it okay if we call it a night?

A clean exit, put as a question so it doesn't land as a door closing. 'Of course, go to sleep' is what you hope to hear. If someone sulks or keeps you on every time you need to leave, raise it in daylight and not at midnight.

From: Questions to Ask on FaceTime